


What Could Have Been

by ScarSense



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Episode: s01e06 The Opera in the Outback Caper, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Writing Prompt, at least i hope its angst thats what the prompt was lol, carmen's have just awakened, gray has always had feelings, i sure didnt, red crackle, who knew electricians are hotter than secret agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23322589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarSense/pseuds/ScarSense
Summary: She looked away from him and the cafe, staring at the sky and the city lights. She realized she had already kindled something between them, and her choice to run would only rob them of the chance to resolve it. But resolving it would only put him in danger for the rest of his life. This passion, this restless bloom in her chest and the piece of paper in her pocket would be all she could have of him.prompt by @fanficy-prompts on tumblr. A character glimpses what their life may have been like if one pivotal moment had happened differently.
Relationships: Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep/Gray | Crackle
Comments: 3
Kudos: 80





	What Could Have Been

Something changed the day she met the real Graham. Not the Graham she put in his place the first time she met him at E.V.I.L., not when they introduced themselves in the barracks. No, it wasn’t even when she reminisced with Crackle on the train, both established agents. Those weren’t the real Gray. On those occasions, while he was his fascinating self; confident, charismatic, and easy to read, he remained an agent of misery. She struggled to fathom how someone so intuitive continued to work for them, but could understand how V.I.L.E. manipulated him into doing so. All she could muster was sympathy at his mangled, molded form, disfigured at their hands. She felt it when buttoning up her coat, him in it, for Interpol to discover. It represented her last adieu. She couldn’t have figured it’d be the last occasion she could say adieu to Gray.

And the first chance to meet Graham.

It was like she had awoke to a foreign world when she bumped into him in the Sydney Opera House. Being accustomed to knowing her best friend inside and out, she struggled when they spoke, because for the first time she didn’t know how to address this new Gray- he was a mystery. He still weaved his hands through his hair and smirked with every quip and snarky comment, but his intentions befuddled her. He held an authority she had never known from him, a commanding confidence in place of sly intelligence. He was… honest. A quality she had only seen in a selected few in her field of duty. Thus her usual banter, her own share of grins, and any intimidation tactics she played at failed to hinder his objectives. Graham immobilized her mind like he was wrapping a present, twisting her over and under arcs of ribbon until she resembled his unconscious form on the train. 

Before she realized it, she was alone. Her eyes were wide, lips parted, holding a slip of paper between her gloves as he walked away into the night.

To allow her reborn friend to abduct her heart in such a rapid manner was astonishing, considering she was never the type. Carmen thought about his sudden advances and flirtatious remarks on her path to the coffee shop. She noticed how he looked at her when he didn’t think she was looking, and wondered if he had always glanced at her that way. Her intuition concluded for her. 

Conflict threatened to bubble over within her; she couldn’t help but reconsider her instinct to meet him. She had noticed and enjoyed how he didn’t know of V.I.L.E., of her, or of anybody from his past career. Every step forward felt criminal when she walked, like she was planning to plunder that value from him, stripping him of a life she could never have. A life without the elusive Carmen Sandiego. 

She reached the cafe and observed him as he made small-talk with the waitress, asking for another cuppa, his converse shoes tapping the cement. His head peering around, seeking the girl he met sneaking behind stage at the Opera House. The pressure in her chest twisted and intensified. He was a normal person doing normal things. Life robbed that opportunity fromthem both. Was she going to take his freedom for her selfish impulses?

Twisted reasoning soon rose from deep down to defend the action. He gave up normalcy before. Gray was destined for an extraordinary life. This get-together would only be one night. 

Perhaps if she wasn’t The Crimson Shadow or the Queen of Crime, but only Carmen, a normal girl falling into an incredible, new connection with her best friend, she’d pursue that date with Gray. 

When Gray spotted her and signalled, smiling and rising from his chair, she couldn’t help but imagine strolling across the street instead of fleeing. Carmen would aspire to make unrelenting eye contact the way over, testing his resolve, to only find in his expression delight that Carmen had arrived and a zeal to call her bet. 

There were so many things she could ask him. He had so much before V.I.L.E. corrupted Graham’s world, like his hobbies, his passion for technology. He had a family. What did he want to be when he grew up, before he concluded he needed money more than a sincere life? What was his favorite color? Watching him explain anything about his past or his obsessions had captivated her before because they were fragments of the outside world. This time, they would intrigue Carmen because of his distracting expressions; his entire face lit up when talking about something he cherished, his eyebrows and confidence when speaking to her, his longing gaze when he stared at the night sky. He would in return inquire about her. It would be tougher to define what she was, but struggling for him felt like the correct judgment to make.

In-between, they would banter and joke, and he might lay his hand on her shoulder when he grinned and rustle her hair like he used to do at the academy. When he snickered, she’d forget her train of thought. Her usual snarky replies would come out sputtered, and her cheeks would be an eternal flush.

When she’d inevitably mention never having been to Sydney, he’d react to the remark with eyebrows raised and smirking. His grin had always gripped her. He’d pester about her uncultured-ness and say something like “The elusive Carmen Sandiego hasn’t been to Sydney? I’m glad I’m your first experience,” or pitch a “Shocking, I figured from the way you describe places you’ve been everywhere,” or maybe, just maybe, “in that case, mate, let me show you my home turf.”

And that maybe would roll into a definitely and soon they would roam the roads of Sydney. They would happen by lush trees, weave around strangers, hands interlocked as he led her through the port. Eventually they would arrive at the sea and the Sydney Opera House. Out of breath after speed walking for an hour, he’d say with a grin how he sometimes slips in the House at night to unwind in a space where he’s inspired. It was his conqest to study and experiment with technology that delighted him, and the Opera House was regularly being upgraded with the latest gadgets. But part of him, he’d grimace while saying it, needed something more. He believed there was more for him, something bigger than this life he created for himself. The way he spoke with such deep conviction would choke out a reply in Carmen, and she would respond she knew he was destined for an extraordinary life, that he’d find his purpose one day.

Whether or not he recovered his memories, the sentiment would remain true to her. In that moment, Graham would use the opportunity to draw her tighter in his arms and connect his lips with hers.

It would be the best night she would ever experience. It would ignite something in them both, tangling their destinies together. She looked away from him and the cafe, staring at the sky and the city lights. She realized she had already kindled something between them, and her choice to run would only rob them of the chance to resolve it. But resolving it would only put him in danger for the rest of his life. This passion, this restless bloom in her chest and the piece of paper in her pocket would be all she could have of him.

So when he rose from his chair and waved, she faded into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you are all well during the pandemic. I will hopefully continue writing one-shots for Carmen Sandiego while I have the extra time and inspiration. :D you can find my art blog @tallboxofwater on tumblr, and my main account @yoinkzo on tumblr as well. If you find any technical errors please remind me so I can revise and edit it for future readers. Thank you for your support <3


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